The murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut had parents everywhere hugging their children tightly, educators struggling to find ways to talk with young students about a senseless horror, and clergy seeking ways to express sorrow and support for Newtown.

And so it was in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester this week.

Sippican School Principal Lyn Rivet said it’s important to be honest with kids as well as to reach out to the local community.

“We tell the students that we love them and that we are going to do everything to keep them safe,” Rivet said. “We have an incredible staff. We’re here for the kids just like those teachers were in Newtown. We would do anything to protect them.”

The staff members of the Old Rochester Regional Junior and Senior High Schools and the four elementary schools in the district, have been addressing the tragedy openly with students, said Superintendent Doug White.

White issued a letter to all parents in the district to offer advice on talking to children about what happened as well as ensuring that school guidance counselors were available for all students if needed.

The schools’ outreach to the students and their families has not gone unnoticed by the parents, Rivet said.

“I have received lots of emails from parents, and their support of the school is so wonderful,” Rivet said. “The parents have been resoundingly supportive.”

Mattapoisett parent Debra Nettles described the tragedy as “unimaginable.”

“It’s a scary thing to think. You wave goodbye to your child in the morning and something like this happens. I think the immediate response is to make the schools fortresses, but we have a warm community here,” said Nettles, who is also Chair of the Arts and Humanities Committee for the Mattapoisett Parent Teacher Association.

On Monday, the Junior High held an assembly to discuss positive behavior in schools.

“We had a moment of silence. We’re keeping the victims and their families in our thoughts,” said Junior High Principal Kevin Brogioli. “We want to reassure students that the schools are a safe place.”

Rivet agreed.

Rivet said her staff also spoke with the elementary school students on Monday.

“We’re trying to keep it very normal. We’re being honest to the students, but age appropriate. We have children who know what happened and those who know nothing. We don’t want to spread fear,” Rivet said.

All of the schools in the district already have safety procedures in place, including school lockdown, fire drills, and evacuation drills, Rivet said.

The schools regularly practice safety exercises, but given the tragedy, White added that the schools would run additional drills within the next few weeks to reassure students.

“We have what needs to be in place and a reminder of things we already do,” Rivet said.

School officials have also met with the Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester Police Departments.

The meetings are simply a precaution, White said.

In the 10 years that Rochester Police  Chief Paul Magee has been with the department, he said there has been only one school lockdown.

The incident occurred on September 11 of this year when a man was spotted carrying a gun near Rochester Memorial School.

After an investigation, the police determined that the man was using the weapon for target shooting at the nearby Wildlife and Fisheries Reserve and that there was no threat to the school.

On Wednesday, a candlelight vigil for the victims and their families was held at Shipyard Park in Mattapoisett.

Pastor Amy Lignitz Harken of the Mattapoisett Congregational Church led the services.

“People need opportunities to process.  It takes a while to sort out our feelings,” Lignitz Harken said. “We opened the church on Saturday. People came and wept. The healthy way to respond is to be around other people. We don’t face this alone. We face this as a community.”